Golden rays of dawn peek over an eastern knoll warming away the
early morning chill. Gradually, the sapphire sky, with its pinholes of
starlight, dissolves to deep azure. Ocotillo Wells.

Here in the Anza-Borrego Desert, life is best lived from September
to May, away from the searing heat of summer. Here there is the
opportunity to see the ancient and the modern.

Ocotillo Airport, located in Ocotillo Wells, is one of eight
aviation facilities owned by the County of San Diego, and is a great
way for pilots to visit this remote area. The airport's two runways,
one 2,475 feet long and the other 4,210 feet, sit on a dry lake bed
about 100 miles east of downtown San Diego. Tie-downs are available at
the airport's transient area.

Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Park is due west of the airport and
has more than 42,000 acres of desert landscape. Some of the most
unusual terrain in the county is within hiking distance of the airport.

Devil's Slide is a 200-foot high granite and sand island, a
decomposing mountaintop. You may find old hidden mine shafts which
some say are haunted. The Pumpkin Patch is a huge field of globular
sandstone "concretions" formed by the natural cementing of
sand particles to a small object such as a grain of sand, a piece of
shell or even a bug. Dozens of other unique spots include Barrel
Springs, Shell Reef, Blow Sand Hill and Gas Domes.

When you fly in to Ocotillo Airport for hiking or camping, make sure
to bring appropriate clothing, food and plenty of water. Even on
cooler days, you'll need water in this arid area. Also, keep an eye on
the weather. If heavy storms are on the way, it's best to play it
safe. The airport is built on a lakebed, which can sometimes turn to
mud with rain.

Walking through remote areas near Ocotillo Airport and the adjoining
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, you may get the feeling you're the
first person to leave footprints in the sand. But archeologists found
evidence of human activity in the area as long as 6,000 years ago.
Nomadic groups of Native American Kumeyaay and Cahuilla left evidence
of their life in the desert.

A little research in travel books or on the Internet before your
trip provides insights into the history and splendor of Ocotillo
Wells. It's worth the effort.